Put the post beside the damage, not in a corner
A Domestic Shorthair scratches where she already scratches, so the post belongs immediately beside the sofa arm, chair leg, or door frame currently taking the damage — close enough that she can choose it without changing her route. Owners instinctively tuck posts into unused corners to keep rooms tidy, and cats ignore them there, because scratching is partly a location claim: she is marking the busy, social centre of her territory, not a hidden edge of it. Slide the post right against the tempting furniture, even touching it, and let it look slightly awkward for a few weeks. Once the habit transfers, you can edge it away a little at a time.
The wake-up stretch post by the sleeping spot
Most Domestic Shorthairs scratch within moments of waking, as part of a full-body stretch, so a second post beside the bed, cat tree, or sunny mat where she naps catches scratches that would otherwise land on the nearest upholstered thing. Watch where she sleeps in the afternoon, not just overnight, since many shorthairs rotate between two or three nap sites and each deserves coverage. This post can be shorter and simpler than the main one; its job is timing, not impressiveness. If she wakes and walks past it to the armchair, the post is a few feet too far from the bed, so move it closer rather than buying a different one.
Height, stability, and angle decide the rest
A vertical post for a Domestic Shorthair must be tall enough for a full upright stretch with claws extended, and heavy or braced enough that it does not rock when she leans her weight into it — one wobble and many cats retire a post for good. Wrap material matters less than condition: re-wrap or replace a post whose fibres have shredded into softness, since blunt, worn surfaces stop satisfying the claw-shedding scratch is for. Cats who work horizontal surfaces, rugs, and carpet edges need a flat or low-angled scratcher instead, and forcing a vertical post on a committed floor-scratcher fails however well it is placed. Offer the angle she demonstrates, in the place she demonstrates it.
Redirecting without a battle
When your Domestic Shorthair scratches the sofa anyway, carry her calmly to the post, run your own nails down it, and reward her the moment she engages; never punish the furniture scratching, which only teaches her to do it while you are out. Cover the attacked spot temporarily with a throw or a fitted sheet to break its texture appeal while the post habit forms. Catnip rubbed into a new post, or a play session that ends at its base, speeds the introduction for many shorthairs. Expect the transfer to take a couple of weeks of boring consistency rather than one dramatic correction.
Tracking use so placement keeps improving
Note which post gets used, at what times, and which furniture still shows fresh marks, because memory flatters us into thinking a setup works when one corner is quietly worsening. A dated log lets you see that the doorway post is a hit while the bedroom one is furniture, and move the dud instead of buying a third. Everyone in the home should record sightings the same way, or the log fills with gaps. Logging post use and fresh damage in KinsLe, where Care Teams keeps the household's observations together with timestamps, turns scratching-post placement into a problem you solve once.